(To fast or not to fast is the REAL question, but there is more to Ramadan then fasting, I’ll explain. And of course Ramadan is not a verb, it’s the holy month for Muslims, and starts on Monday 6th of June and lasts for 30 days.)

For me and David the ‘season’ has started, which means long days of work till the end of November. Which is absolutely awesome! It enables us to travel and party for a few months till spring next year. But what the hack does that have to do with fasting with Ramadan when I’m not even a Muslim?

Okay, to answer that pressing question: no, I’m not converting to Islam, but that’s also not the point. I need a break, a real break. A break from drinking alcohol (that party part of my year), from asphalting my lungs, from living my life unconsciously because I’m not thinking and don’t meditate. And, I honoustly think one can not understand Islam if you’ve never participated in celebrating their holy month. And I believe in ‘let’s make a nice life TOGETHER on this magnificent earth’.
But oh help me Allah, I did choose the most difficult Ramadan ever, being it around the longest days of the year, which means fasting from 4AM till 9PM… It’s an ordeal I’ve never faced before in my life. It will teach me a good lesson about discipline for sure 😉
When I was in Jordan during Ramadan is was not that hard because everybody was doing it. And I think that’s exactly what will keep me going this time. Just the fact that 1.7 billion people in this world (the estimated number of Muslims) is doing it, and also 50% of the people we share our apartment building with. Know thy neighbours 🙂
I’m going to do it my way though, which means:
I will drink water when I’m working. Believe me, those apiarist suits (to protect me from the bees I work with) are freaking hot and I’m doing this for my health more than anything else so I AM drinking water.
I’m not going to pray to a god I don’t believe in, but instead will meditate for 20 minutes every 5 hours.

I’ll not gossip or speak ill of others.

I’ll read the Quran, which I’ve never done before (and as I think is not allowed for women to do, but I will do nonetheless.)

I’ll abstain from having sex from sun set till sun rise (sorry bf).
I’ll pay, according to one of the other pilars of Islam, a Zakat, a certain amount of my money will go to the poor.

I don’t know that much about Islam, but I hope you will discover it with me when I’m going on this journey.

Now I’ve said it in public, so there is no return. If you want to support me, hook up with me on facebook, I’ll keep you updated on a daily basis. For every day I’m succesfull in this, pay a dollar (or a euro) to a charity of your choice which benefits the poor in this world.

Love, peace, and Ramadan Kareem

Barbara

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“Vlinders moeten rupsen worden,
vogels kruipen in hun ei.
Vliegen hoort niet in de orde
van de mensenmaatschappij.
Toch is er soms een weg.
Toch is er iets dat overleeft
en soms dan kan je even weg
omdat wie wil wel vleugels heeft,
al is het dan alleen maar om te dromen,
alleen maar om te dromen."
~ Boudewijn de Groot
'Voor de overlevenden'
Butterflies will become caterpillars,
birds crawl back in their eggs.
Flying doesn't fit in the order
of human societies norms.
Though, sometimes there is a way
there is something which survives
and sometimes you can get away from it all
because who wants to will have wings
even if it is to dream away for a while,
just to dream away.
Boudewijn de Groot - The Survivors